The Rest on the Flight into Egypt

The work was painted in 1626 by Francesco Albani, as indicated by the artist’s date on the canvas and confirmed by the Statens Museum for Kunst entry.

By the early twentieth century the painting entered the collection of Statens Museum for Kunst (SMK) in Copenhagen, where it is catalogued as KMSsp105. The SMK records list the painting’s dimensions as 693 cm in height and 870 cm in width, and classify it as an oil on canvas depicting the Rest on the Flight into Egypt.

Francesco Albani's 1626 oil painting, The Rest on the Flight into Egypt, is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst (SMK) in Copenhagen. The work is cataloged under the accession number KMSsp105. The painting depicts the biblical scene of the Holy Family resting during their flight to Egypt, featuring Mary, Joseph, the Christ Child, and an angel.

It measures 69.3 cm in height and 87 cm in width. The museum is located in Copenhagen, where the artwork remains part of its permanent religious art holdings.

Francesco Albani's 'The Rest on the Flight into Egypt,' painted in 1626, depicts the Holy Family taking a respite during their escape to Egypt. The composition centers on the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child beneath the shade of palm trees, while Joseph gestures toward the landscape. Two putti float in the sky above, directing a beam of divine light onto the figures, a motif characteristic of Albani's idealized religious scenes.

In the foreground, two children engage in playful activity, adding a sense of pastoral liveliness to the sacred narrative. Executed in oil paint, the work exemplifies the artist's mature Bolognese style, blending classical harmony with a soft, luminous palette. Albani, a prominent figure of the Baroque era and a student of the Carracci, frequently returned to this subject, favoring idyllic landscapes populated by cherubic figures.

This 1626 version reflects his commitment to creating serene, harmonious visions that elevate the biblical story through a lens of poetic beauty and natural grace, distinguishing his approach from the more dramatic intensity of his Roman contemporaries.